


Ever the King's Servant

by Talis_Borne



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Knows, Canon Era, Canon-Typical Violence, Magic Revealed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-20
Updated: 2017-03-20
Packaged: 2018-10-08 05:11:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10379238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talis_Borne/pseuds/Talis_Borne
Summary: How Merlin found out Arthur knew.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little one of that’s been hanging around in my head for a long time.

“Merlin!” roared Arthur, “On your knees!” 

At Arthur’s shout, Merlin dropped to his knees and steel rang above his head, Sir Leon’s sword crashing against the King’s. 

“Leave him!” ordered Arthur, throwing Leon back with a sword to sword shove. “We’ll deal with it after the battle.” 

“Find yourself a real enemy,” Gwaine taunted the head knight, pulling his sword from one of the attacking bandits and spinning to slice a second. 

Merlin stayed on his knees, panting in terror, but watching for any further threats the knights couldn’t handle on their own as they spun around him. Damn Arthur. He would have to lead the raid to clear this bandits nest. Fifteen, the peasant boy who’d arrived at the castle had said. Fifteen at most! More like forty. And had Arthur taken a score of men? No, a dozen knights had been plenty. And Merlin, though Arthur didn’t really count him. But when they’d sneaked into what should have been a sleeping camp of ragged tents those tents had been empty and bandits had boiled out of the woods on all sides like ants on an untended picnic basket. And Merlin would have hidden behind a tree and helped inconspicuously as usual, if it hadn’t been for six arrows headed for the King from high up in the surrounding trees all at one time. The trap had been well planned and really only had one target. 

Merlin had instinctively slowed time and stepped up beside his King knowing he’d have only one shot to remove the danger before the knights reacted to a sorcerer in their midst. He rapped out a quick spell lighting the arrows on fire and then extending the conflagration in wheel spokes back to the bows that had shot them. The bandits holding them had fallen from the trees, three out of the battle, though one ran away on fire, the others had pulled swords. 

Now the knights danced and struck in a choreography of mayhem that had the bandits’ numbers dwindling by the second; three to one odds not being enough with sloppy amateurs against polished professionals. Lancelot dropped the last bandit to the forest floor and the knights looked to each other. Sir Eldin pulled Sir Sagramore to sit on a rock to bind up a leg wound for him, but as Sir Sagramore was still able to stand on the leg, it must not have been too deep. The circle of the rest of the knights contracted around Merlin. 

Finally, Sir Leon spoke. “Should we bind up the sorcerer to bring him back to Camelot, Sire?” 

“Why?” asked Arthur wryly, stabbing his sword into the ground to clean it. “Merlin’s broken no laws.” 

The knights glanced around at each other in confusion. “He’s a sorcerer, Sire,” said Sir Leon. 

“And you’re only just noticing this now?” asked Arthur. “It’s not like he’s careful about hiding it.” 

“You utter prat!” yelled Merlin in shock, still not daring to rise. “You knew?” 

“How long have you known, Sire?” asked Leon uncertainly. 

Arthur ignored Merlin and stepped closer to his head knight, sheathing his sword and crossing his arms over his chest. “Now that’s an interesting question, Sir Leon. Considering that if I had known prior to my Father’s death I would have been guilty of harboring a sorcerer and been a traitor to the crown, when do you think I might have figured it out?” 

Sir Leon looked into his sovereign’s amused eyes and answered diplomatically, “Shortly after your coronation, Highness?” 

Arthur nodded with a slight smile. “That’s a very good answer, Sir Leon.” 

Merlin’s face was a picture of outrage. “But you couldn’t be arsed to tell me? Do you know how much I’ve suffered trying to hide my magic, terrified every day that you’d find out and throw me on the pyre for saving your life?” 

Arthur leaned toward his servant, “Fair punishment for not trusting your King. I’ve expected every day that you’d finally come to me with your secret, but you just kept hiding.” 

“Magic is still illegal!” shrilled Merlin. 

“And you’ve not helped with that at all, have you, Merlin?” asked Arthur. “I’ve asked your opinion on magic several times and got nothing more than lukewarm answers.” 

Sir Leon coughed discretely. “Sire, even Merlin admits what he did was against the law.” 

“Hardly,” said Arthur. “I wrote out a dispensation giving Merlin leave to use his magic the day after my coronation. It’s even filed properly in the archives. All Merlin ever had to do was come to me and he could have claimed it.” 

Through gritted teeth, Merlin asked, “Does that mean I can turn you into a frog for leaving me in the dark all this time?” 

"Hmmm,” Arthur pretended to think. “I believe that dispensation says something about your magic being legal as long as it’s used in the service of King and country.” The King smirked. “You can’t use it on me. Sorry. Now go get the horses. I don’t want Sir Sagramore walking on that leg more than needs must.” 

Merlin started to his feet unsteadily and Lancelot took his arm to help him up. The sorcerer’s breath came heavily as he glanced at each of the knights, most still with their swords unsheathed, but the circle opened to allow him to leave. 

The silence stretched until the sorcerer disappeared between the trees. “Do you think he’ll run, Sire?” asked Sir Leon quietly. 

“I should hope not,” answered Arthur, “but he’s likely to be fairly unbearable for a few days.” Arthur sighed. “If he does run, no one is to chase him. Merlin is not a fugitive. He is legally entitled to practice magic in the kingdom of Camelot.” 

“In the service of King and country,” repeated Sir Leon, frowning. 

Arthur shrugged. “A man has to practice his craft. As long as he does nothing with it that’s otherwise illegal, I’m not likely to condemn him for it, so bring no charges that will only waste my time.” 

Staunchly, Lancelot avowed, “Merlin is fiercely loyal, Arthur.” 

“He’s right,” agreed Gwaine. “You couldn’t pick anyone more trustworthy.” 

Muffled hoofbeats sounded in the underbrush and Merlin returned riding his mount. Arthur opened his mouth to protest that his servant wasn’t leading the horses back when he realized he was. Merlin’s eyes blazed gold as each horse, their reins tied to their saddles, plodded to each of their masters. Sir Bertram stepped back from his mount and it followed him for several steps before the knight finally decided the best course was simply to catch the reins and take control of the situation. 

Arthur frowned but mounted without hesitation. “You use your magic for all your chores, do you Merlin?” 

Merlin answered cheekily, “In the service of King and Country, Sire.”


End file.
